In the distance, King's Landing was engulfed in raging flames, with the green-cloaked soldiers of House Tyrell, the First Men armies from The North and Crackclaw Point, and Stannis's fleet all joining the assault.
On the south bank of the Blackwater River, the main camp gathered the elite forces of the Stormlands, the Twin Cities, the Vale, Crackclaw Point, and The Reach. The army stretched out like a long dragon, its soldiers arrayed in perfect order, with the outermost ring formed by patrol and assault fortifications.
Banners rose over the camp like a dense forest, while the tents of lords, knights, and soldiers stood like enormous mushrooms after rain. The soldiers' clothing and weapons were marked with the crests and patterns of their houses.
To the west flew the golden rose on green fields, accompanied by Rowan's golden tree, Tarly's striding huntsman, Redwyne's grapes, Lady Oakheart's oak leaves, House Florent's red-and-gold fox banner, and many others. Highgarden had no shortage of men or grain, and its ability to raise troops was first-rate.
To the east, the highest banner was the golden storm flag, alongside House Baratheon's black stag on a gold field, House Caron's nightingale, House Swann's swan, House Massey's tricolor spiral, the spiny swordfish, and others. There were also several banners from Crackclaw Point.
In the center stood House Arryn's blue-and-white crescent and falcon, alongside House Royce's orange banner with a cluster of pebbles between two rows of runes, House Grafton's tower, House Redfort's red fortress, House Corbray's three ravens clutching a heart, and the golden eagle of the Gulltown Arryns, among others.
The lords, knights, and soldiers were all in high spirits. King's Landing was certain to fall tonight, and they would soon reap the spoils of victory. The innermost position was the long table near the Storm, but only the most powerful figures could find a place there.
"The Imp's idea with the chain was rather clever. But in the end, he fell just short," Mace Tyrell said briskly. "Though Tywin escaped, Joffrey, the Imp, Cersei, and the others will certainly fall into our hands. And since Prince Gendry cut down Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer is now a cripple too."
Lord Mathis Rowan nodded stiffly, then took up the thread. "Indeed. Lord of Highgarden has spoken for us all."
The lords of The Reach sat on the left. Lord Mace Tyrell was broad and ruddy, with brown curls and a shovel-shaped beard streaked with white. Lord Redwyne of Arbor was narrow and stooped, with only a few tufts of orange-yellow hair on his bald head. Lord Mathis Rowan of Goldengrove was neatly shaven and powerfully built. Beside them was the stern, bald Randyll Tarly. The Reach was the eager newcomer to the game.
Mace Tyrell was in high spirits and took it upon himself to tell Gendry that Highgarden was willing to provide grain to King's Landing free of charge, as well as aid in post-war reconstruction.
"Lord Mace's patriotic heart must surely be visible to the gods above," Lord Florent said, his voice carrying a faint note of mockery. Mace pretended not to hear it.
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Gendry asked, looking at Lord Mace.
"I am the King's loyal servant. In these troubled times, this is Highgarden's duty," Mace declared generously. His thick neck was hard to miss, but since Mace himself was willing to spend lavishly, the others could hardly say much.
Lord Mathis Rowan glanced at Mace with a frown. Such boasts were not made lightly. Once winter arrived, House Tyrell would have to provide even more grain, and Mace likely had no idea how heavy that burden would become.
"My lords, you must be diligent. The Small Council is empty now. I have appointed my uncle, Great Lord Stannis, as Hand of the King, and Ser Barristan Selmy will continue as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, but the other positions still require capable ministers and brave men." Gendry looked around at the lords seated at the oak table. Though the Riverlands and The North were absent from this round, it was still a gathering of remarkable men.
Fame and profit were tempting tools, like a carrot dangled before a donkey. As one of the strongest powers in the realm in practical terms, the lords of The Reach had never been entirely satisfied with the previous distribution of power.
"Who else but me? Master of Coin." Mace puffed out his chest, well pleased with himself. Though the position of Hand of the King had slipped away, apart from Barristan as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and the Grand Maester sent by the Citadel, there were still the offices of Master of Laws, Master of Ships, Master of Whisperers, and the most valuable of all, Master of Coin.
It would cost some money and grain, yes, but the now-empty King's Landing needed a loyal servant like him.
The other lords also fell into thought. With the Lannisters about to leave the stage in King's Landing, and with the Great Lord of the Vale and Littlefinger already dead, this was the perfect moment to enter the heart of power.
"Prince, my lords, shall we first discuss the coronation and the wedding?" Ser Boggs asked. In terms of standing, he was still a little short of the great lords of The Reach, the Vale, and the Stormlands, but the Crackclaws were, after all, among the earliest investors to throw themselves into the Storm War.
"No hurry. Let's deal with the war first," Gendry said. The Sword of the Tiger's Roar rested beside him, casting a beautiful sheen across the ground.
Lothor Brune, clad in a golden cloak, nodded to everyone. "My lords, at present, the good news is coming one after another. From noon through the afternoon, Prince Gendry fought the Volantene coalition forces led by Malaquo the Triarch on the southern shore of the Blackwater Rush. We trapped the enemy between the Stormlands army's shield wall and the sea, then attacked. Though we suffered casualties, we ultimately won a great victory.
"By our count, the enemy broke in a rout. The citizen militias of Volantis and Lys, along with the Iron Legion of New Ghis, were almost entirely wiped out. Among the dead are Malaquo the Triarch of Volantis and a number of old Tiger Party nobles, as well as the nobles, wealthy merchants, and mercenary leaders of Lys, and the exiled slave-owning nobles of Myr and Tyrosh. According to the latest news brought by Lord Stannis, Rhaen Haen, the sole Magister of Lys, may also have died in the Battle of the Blackwater Rush. The remaining slave soldiers and Tiger Cloaks of Slaver's Bay, the four sellsword companies, the Windblown, the Stormcrows, the Iron Shields, and the Maiden's Men, as well as the Tolos slingers and the Elyrian crossbowmen, have surrendered to us. In addition, all the slave masters of Astapor were killed, most of the slave masters of Yunkai were killed, the commander of Meereen was shot dead by Prince Gendry, another commander, Sitsrada, surrendered with his men, and Daario of the Stormcrows was killed."
"Long live the Storm! Prince Gendry has slain the Triarch of Volantis, the slave masters of Yunkai, Meereen, and Astapor, the captains of the mercenary companies, and the gladiators of Meereen. We have defeated the finest forces of the Known World," Anguy announced proudly, as the list of victims grew once more. The heads of Malaquo and the others were still proof of that glorious victory.
"Praise the gods!" Lord Paxter Redwyne shouted at once. "A great victory for the Storm!"
"A great victory," even the harsh Randyll had to admit with a nod. After this battle, at least a group of slave states had been badly weakened, their power greatly diminished, leaving them as little more than raiders huddling behind their own borders.
This was no ordinary war. It was a decisive battle that had swept all before it. Though Randyll only had a rough grasp of the war's course and the movement of the armies, the results alone forced him to admit that warfare had been elevated from mere technique to something almost artistic. Gendry commanded tens of thousands as easily as turning his hand, and beyond that, he led from the front and was unmatched in single combat.
"For places like Volantis, this is a serious defeat," Selwyn Tarth said. "Lys is close to us, but Volantis and the others are too far away."
"I certainly won't let the Lyseni off, but Volantis will require some time to prepare for. Before that, we need to deal with the Lannisters of the Westerlands, and of course, those insolent Ironborn," Gendry said. The city-states of the eastern continent, Volantis, Lys, and Qarth, were all enemies with considerable strength. Aside from Lys, they were too distant to act against without dragons.
"Any intelligence on the Lannister army's movements?" Gendry asked Mace.
"Tywin has fled west with his beaten remnants. He is no longer trying to save his grandson or his children, and has even abandoned their defeated soldiers. Earlier, at the Battle of the Red Fork of the Trident, Tywin was already beaten once by the Young Wolf, Robb Stark, and his uncle Edmure Tully. Their long march produced a great many wounded as well, and many soldiers were simply left along the road. Under our attack, Tywin's formation collapsed again. When the battle turned against him, Tywin fled with his general reserve and the troops he had reorganized. Once he moves west, he will be encircled again at the Red Fork of the Trident, and our soldiers are also moving around behind him. That will be enough to destroy the main force of the Westerlands."
Great Lord Mace quickly gathered his spirits as he spoke. Looking into those lake-blue eyes, he felt a faint tremor run through him, a tremor of power, will, and strength.
"Are you certain we'll catch Tywin and encircle him?" Lord Yohn questioned. "The coastline of The North is being harassed by the Ironborn, and those cavalrymen have been fighting for so long that they may already be thinking of going home. Besides, Tywin did not force a crossing at the Red Fork of the Trident the first time. The second time, he might succeed."
Mace shook his head. "I refuse to believe Tywin's soldiers are mules. What is a Great Lord without a kingdom? A beggar, that's what! Tywin has abandoned the Riverlands and is taking his own forces to join the Kingslayer and return home to the Westerlands, crossing the Red Fork of the Trident along the way. But he doesn't have enough strength left. He is bound to be destroyed. If it were me, that is exactly what I would do!"
Those present nearly laughed aloud. In just a few years, Gendry had seen more battle than the Great Lord of Highgarden had won in his long twenty-year military career. Mace had never achieved feats such as slaying enemy commanders or breaking cities. His only passable record was taking credit for Randyll's victory over Robert at the Battle of Ashford, followed by commanding the siege of Storm's End, where he sat idle for a full year without results. Once the Trident was decided, Mace surrendered to Great Lord Eddard Stark.
"I have already written to Riverrun and Robb Stark," Gendry said. "Tywin has burned, killed, and plundered across the Riverlands. I must put this man to death."
"As you should. With the weight of several kingdoms behind us, even if Tywin's army remains orderly in defeat and well trained, it will still be no match for us." Lord Yohn rubbed his hands together.
They only had to strike. Now they had the sharpest sword and the strongest mind.
Lothor Brune cleared his throat. "Aside from our victories east and west of the Blackwater Rush, all that remains is an irritating pack of Ironborn. Balon even dares call himself King of the Isles and The North."
"That stinking salted fish, what right does he have to call himself king? He should be bending the knee. Has he lost his wits?" Great Lord Mace said disdainfully.
"I will not pardon House Greyjoy. We were far too merciful to them back then." Gendry stroked the hilt of Tiger's Roar. "Balon and his bastards have been harassing the coasts and causing great trouble for The North. Fortunately, Lady Mormont of Bear Island is holding Moat Cailin, so the passage has remained in our hands."
"What about the Chameleon, Theon?" Gendry asked.
Jon Snow's cheek twitched. Hearing the story of an old friend was a cruel thing.
"I have heard nothing of him. Lord Bolton, however, sent his bastard to the coast to bravely kill enemies and loyally serve the war."
"Ramsay." Gendry silently repeated the name. Would this beast he had tamed still bite at random? If he remained savage, only death awaited him.
"In that case, we must get rid of this third king as well," Lord Mathis said. "If we refuse him, he will probably loose his fleet to harass the coasts. Harassing Fair Isle would be one thing. What we fear most is that he may raid Highgarden."
"North of The Twins, the Northmen's lands are all stone and snow. Greyjoy heads have always been mad. They would rather send soldiers and fleets there to plunder than strike at the wealthy Westerlands," Paxter Redwyne said with a chuckle.
"Indeed. He is a madman, and he has created trouble for us," Great Lord Mace said with a nod.
"Besides Renly, there is the Lannister treason, and now the Greyjoy treason as well." Gendry added another item to the account.
Everyone nodded. None of the lords had any goodwill toward pirates as foul as the Greyjoys.
"Crush those realm-destroying traitors. Now we only need to wait for good news from my sons, Garlan and Loras," Mace said grandly.
"My lords, our true war is not against the Lannisters or the Greyjoys, but farther north," Gendry reminded them.
"Farther north?" Many of the lords looked bewildered. The Others were already an extremely distant legend.
"That's right." Gendry nodded. "I received a letter from The Wall. Beyond the King-Beyond-the-Wall, there are things far more terrifying than we imagined. The Others, the White Ghosts, the great spiders. Old Bear has waited too long, and the Night's Watch shrinks with every passing day. The Northmen will also have to face a massive invasion by the King-Beyond-the-Wall and the wildlings."
"Could it be that the Night's Watch simply wants more recruits?" Great Lord Mace asked.
"The Night's Watch is short of men. If something happens to the Wall, we will have no choice but to take it seriously," Ser Barristan said in a deep voice.
"That is true." Mace nodded as well. Naturally, he did not believe any of this, but he went along with the ruler.
"Those rioters in King's Landing, along with some of the veteran soldiers, if they are involved in the Lannister treason, pack them all off to The North," Gendry said. He only wondered how many usable men Roose had left him.
"Yes."
Randyll's face twitched visibly. His eldest son was now at The Wall. If that son had been as hard and resolute as a warrior, like young men such as Gendry or Robb, Randyll would never have acted as he had.
Gendry naturally noticed Randyll's expression. It was said that Samwell had already begun making a name for himself in the Night's Watch. It seemed the magical bath had done its work.
"As for the coronation and wedding afterward," Ser Barristan cut in, "apart from the Westerlands and the Iron Islands, it should be a grand occasion."
"So the Dornishmen will be there too?" Lord Mathis asked bluntly.
"What?" Mace's attitude changed at once. The Reach and the Dornish had never been on good terms. Dorne and Highgarden were sworn enemies. For centuries, the two had fought along the border, with raids passing back and forth between the mountains and the marches, never knowing peace. Besides, the Dornish Red Viper could hardly be separated from the crippling of Highgarden's heir.
"They are also our guests, and are willing to become loyal servants," Ser Barristan said. "As for what happened to Prince Rhaegar's children all those years ago, the Dornish are naturally glad to see the Lannisters brought low."
"That is a matter for the future," Gendry added. After all, there were Dornish envoys in his tent even now.
"Fine," Mace said, nodding reluctantly.
"My lords, good news." A messenger came hurrying over, panting for breath.
"Ser Garlan from the West Gate, Lord Roose from the North Gate, and Great Lord Stannis's men from the East Gate. By tomorrow dawn at the latest, the Red Keep will fall," the messenger reported respectfully.
The lords' faces brightened even further. After dawn, the gates of King's Landing would open. Then castles, villages, lands, rivers, forests, and the wardship of young noble heirs would be what they truly needed.
"In addition, the usurper Joffrey is dead. According to Lord Roose's questioning, when Joffrey returned to the Red Keep from the Mud Gate, he was blocked by a mob and torn apart. His body was left unrecognizable," the messenger said.
The second one, Gendry thought silently. First Renly, then Joffrey.
"It seems to be the gods' punishment. It has nothing to do with us, and it spares the poor child from being stuck on a spear," Mathis said with pity.
"Yes, yes, yes. The gods have abandoned the Lannisters," Mace said, nodding as well.
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